Tips from family, friends, readers

There is good bibingka at all Pure Gold stores, located on Shaw Blvd., at NAIA Avenue in front of the Duty Free complex and on Zapote Road in Las Piñas. They are always freshly made and cost P50 per.

There is a bagsakan area at the back of the market in Fairview, Quezon City (actually, in the Commonwealth area). There is also a Rustan’s on Regalado Street. The Commonwealth market is now fully constructed and vendors offer very competitive prices. In response to those who live in this area and who have sent us e-mails, we will go there this week.

There is this ice cream man, Nat, whose creativity has been transformed into a multi-flavor ice cream enterprise. He does not supply any stores, operates from his home and takes orders through telephone 922-2889 or e-mail [email protected]. Ask for the price list. Consider this– Mango Cream Pie made with real fruit chunks and graham crackers, Peanut Brittle and Fat Free Strawberry Sorbet.

There’s Boston Creamery on President’s Ave. in BF Homes Parañaque. We are curious about their Butter Pecan, Oreo Mint Crunch and those with fruit flavors. One day notice is required and price range is from P95 a pint to P780 for extra large (a gallon).

Alabang Town Center being our regular paseo, we were delighted to see the new face of Rustan’s Bon Appetit, now referred to as Garden Café. The owners have beautifully combined the charm of a flower shop and the enticing ambiance of a dining area serving a buffet and snacks throughout the day. The scent of fresh flowers greets the diner and by the time he/she sits down, the aroma of fresh herbs takes over, tempting the palette. One gets a printed menu card with a dainty flower corner border and petals scattered on the plastic-covered pages. We were told the store in Makati will also be undergoing some renovation. Which brings us to Boy Samson, the supermarket manager who has moved to another branch of the Tantoco empire. We are certain a lot of Boy’s sukis will miss him. However, there is the gracious Emy Palacios, who has moved back from Harrison Plaza, and the efficient Linda, so Boy leaves the store (and its shoppers) in very capable hands.

Things also moved around at Shopwise in the Filinvest Mall. Gone is the cosmetics row between the escalators. In its place is the Health section where one can spend hours reading, examining and deciding what to buy for a healthier lifestyle. We bought one of the sauces from House of Tsang, Korean Teriyaki Stir Fry, and it went great with thinly sliced tenderloin beef. Fast, easy, tasty. Also in this section are organic mayonnaise at P217 for a 16 oz. bottle, organic canola oil for P211 (473 ml). We could not resist the Bean Creek brand of soup mixes (P89.50). We chose Cheddar Broccoli. The cooked-food concessionaire is gone; Shopwise ready-to-eat meals are offered instead. We got whole roast chicken for P126.75, a few pesos cheaper than its competitor. Others are Italian Meat Balls, Stir-fried Beef, Tossed Salad, Bounty Fresh kebabs at P14.60 each and Chicken Relleno at P125 a kilo. You can get brewed coffee for P20, but if you are an Elite Wise Card holder, coffee comes free from the bakery. Plus a cinnamon roll.

Makati Supermarket in Alabang is also a favorite stop. Recently we got big plastic storage boxes at a little more than P750 each, much lower than in another outlet. They have an extensive collection of microwaveable food savers, particularly Prestige Brand round ones (600 ml each, P24.30 for a pack of five). All come with lids.

We got a quick response (on our enquiry) from Meralco. At least there are people working hard over there. Hope they work faster on those refunds.

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